Navajo Prep to host National Underclassmen Combines and Camps for southwest region

By Joshua Perry jperry@daily-times.com

Updated:
02/11/2013 09:49:21 PM MST

Some of the best high school football players in the southwest will converge in Farmington as Navajo Prep will host the National Underclassmen Combines and Camps on March 3.

The camp will provided athletes in San Juan County a chance at getting viewed on a national stage, said Rod Denetso, Navajo Prep head football coach.

"I think one thing it will do is allow us to expose kids from not just our school, but the whole area," Denetso said. "We have a lot of good players in Aztec, Farmington, Bloomfield — just everywhere. I think those kids deserve a chance to be recognized."

Four kids from the Eagles football team — Mika Mauga, Tyler Sorensen, Izaac Eredia and Aaron Arthur — will be participating in the camp, Denetso said.

"Mika Mauga participated last year and was named the MVP of the defensive backs," Denetso said. "That gave him the chance to go compete at a camp in California with other MVPs."

Prep was selected over several 5A schools in New Mexico as the host of the event.

"We put in a bid a couple of months ago to draw interest," Denetso said. "We beat out Rio Rancho and Cleveland for the combine among other."

After winning the District 1-2A football title last season, Denetso is hopeful having the combine on campus will draw more interest in the school's football program.

"We're definitely on an uptick," he said. "We hope this exposure will continue our rise.

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The combine is for the top 9th, 10th and 11th grade football players in the Southwest Region with players from Utah, Arizona and Colorado expected to join New Mexico athletes.

The camp is unique from others in the athletes will only compete against other athletes in their own grade level.